Unionville in the News

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

The reopening of the State Street bridge in Avondale has been pushed back from May 25 to June 20. According to a report posted on the London Grove Township website about a May 23 progress meeting, PECO Energy took longer than expected to complete its portion of the project. The remaining work includes drainage, paving, and installation of curbs, sidewalks, and guiderails. According to the London Grove report, "The County representatives were clear with the contractor that there will be no more extensions."The strategically located bridge, owned by Chester County, has been closed for reconstruction since last summer. The project has created a major traffic headache that has plagued motorists not only in Avondale but also in London Grove, West Grove and Penn Townships.

I had the chance to talk to a friend who survived the Tough Mudder extreme athletic competition at Unionville's Plantation Field. She had the good fortune to do the race -- her fourth and, she claims, final one -- on Sunday, May 20, when the sun appeared for the first time in many days. The masochists who competed the day before had had to deal with a steady driving rain and temperatures in the 50s. Despite the sunshine, she said, the mud was a foot thick throughout the hilly course, which greatly slowed the going and left her ankles aching two days later. It took her and her husband four and a half hours to finish, and because of a longstanding shoulder problem she had to skip several of the obstacles that involved overhead swinging. And unlike previous years, she said, she did not carry her husband through the "carry your partner" sections of the course.Her favorite obstacle, she said, was one where you are immersed in a pit full of filthy water and have to clamber over triangular, rotating metal barrels. (She actually grinned while describing this.)

On Sunday, June 10, the Stroud Water Research Center
is holding a road rally through the Chester County countryside. Cars of all ages are welcome. Tickets cost $150 per team (driver plus navigator) and include the after-party at an "undisclosed location" (a to-be-announced nature preserve). Tickets are
on sale at the Stroud Center's website. Registration starts at 1 p.m. June 10; the first car leaves the center at 2:30 p.m.; and the after-party starts at 4:30.

A young friend who teaches at the Jennersville Y is getting married in August, and before class the other day her fiancé was helping her by wheeling in a cart full of workout mats. "Wow," I said to him. "Is that part of your job description?""Life insurance," he said, with cheerful resignation.She nodded sagely. I believe this will be a successful marriage.

Curious people like me are having fun watching the renovation work that's being done on the old stucco house on Newark Road across from Archie's restaurant. Almost as soon as the "For Sale" sign came down, trucks and workers started showing up to begin the makeover. First old carpets were pulled out, rolled up and stacked on the front porch. There's a small backhoe in the yard. And this evening I saw an old-fashioned white tub and a white fridge sitting on the front porch; I'm assuming they were leaving rather than arriving.

On Tuesday I stopped for lunch at Mary Pat's Provisions, the newest addition to the Liberty Place Market (it's where Nourish used to be). The menu is written on a big blackboard behind the counter and includes all sorts of breakfast and lunch options. Fruit beverages and teas are displayed in big glass tanks at the counter.My classic BLT came on multigrain bread with hearty slices of bacon and was served on a metal pie plate with potato chips and a pickle. The sandwich was delicious and so big that I took half home. Sitting at the window at Liberty Place is great fun because you get to watch the passersby along busy State Street. I also got to overhear a worried home seller telling her companion that despite her agent's assurances that her house had plenty of "momentum," no offers were coming in.

Marlborough Friends Meeting will be holding its annual picnic on Sunday, June 3. Meeting starts at 11 a.m., with the picnic to follow at 12:15 p.m. As always, visitors of all faiths are welcome to attend silent worship before the picnic, though you can come just for the picnic. The meetinghouse is at 361 Marlborough Road in the tiny village of Marlboro. Bring a dish to share! I can guarantee you will get a warm greeting; this is a very welcoming group of Quakers.